


no tears left to cry

by doctahreid



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Brain Damage, Choking, Corporal Punishment, Daddy Kink, Disability, Disabled Character, Dom Harry Styles, Dom/sub, Fluff, Insecurity, M/M, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Pet Names, Spanking, Sub Louis Tomlinson
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-27
Updated: 2018-09-11
Packaged: 2019-05-29 10:59:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15071759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doctahreid/pseuds/doctahreid
Summary: Being different is always hard, but when you live in a world where your role in life is set from the moment you're born, it can be excruciating...Louis knows he's taking a risk, but he's lost so much, he can't bring himself to care about consequences anymore.Too bad Harry does.(or the one where Louis tries to run from his destiny only to end up caught up in it anyway)





	1. one

**Author's Note:**

> I don’t know where this is going. I just needed to cope with my brain screwing me up, and what better way to do that than a dom/sub larry fic, right? 
> 
> Louis has brain damage in this. It affected the right side of his body, and it means he can’t move properly. In good days, he has a limp and considerably less strength than someone who’s only eighteen should. In bad days he can barely move his leg, and the pain is crippling. He never knows what he’s getting when he gets up in the morning

It takes him a while to notice Harry has found him. It happens in the middle of a busy day on the coffee shop and really, at first it’s like the tall, handsome young man is only there to get his fix and move on with his life, just like everyone else.

Eventually, though, the incessant burn on the back of his neck gets too intense to ignore, causing Louis to scrape his fingers over the goddamn submissive mark engraved there, the motion making him go weak on his already damage knees.

He has to take a couple of moments to himself  then. Trying his best to smile at the costumer who is looking at him like he’s about to ask if the guy needs help, Tommo waves Niall over to the register and drags himself around the counter, trying to get to the back room as quickly as he can.

It has happened before, the physical reminder that what Louis is doing is dangerous, wrong and borderline _illegal._ He’s been away from his rightful dominant for months now, and his most basic instincts are trying their best to remind him why he shouldn’t. If he can get to a quiet place and sit down on the next couple of minutes, let his mind take him under for some time, he should be fine.

Except for the fact that a strong hand wraps itself around his wrist the second Louis reaches the doorknob. Turning over, the man is fully prepared to send whoever this dickhead is to hell when his words get caught up on his throat.

Intense green eyes are staring down at him.

Green eyes that he knows all too well.

_Well, shit._

 

Styles can’t contain the grin on his face when the seconds go by and recognition shines on the pair of blue stunned eyes he’s been waiting to look at in person for months. _Louis knows who he is, then_. A part of the Dom  had always wondered, ever since that morning when he got to the office and found a red file waiting on his desk. He had postponed all of his meetings that day, spent hours and hours trying to learn everything he could, not only about Louis, but also about his disability. He wanted to be ready when the boy reached out, wanted to make sure he knew he would be taken care of now.

So he read, and read, and he waited.

Louis never showed up. Coming to terms with that was hard, and the only way Harry really did was by telling himself Louis never found out he had been matched. Someone at the matching department screwed up, and his boy still thought he was on his own.

He would have to kiss that fantasy goodbye now.

“Hi, Louis. Nice to _finally_ meet you. Is there somewhere private where we can talk?” he's the one who breaks the silence, of course he is, Louis still too stunned to even try to pull back from his grip, caramel skin warm under his fingertips.

“Harry...oh God, how...what are you…”

“We really shouldn't do this here, Louis” he stayed around longer than he thought he would need to, and it's not like his face is unknown, being as rich as he is: a few heads are starting to turn to them in curiosity, one of Louis’ co workers eying them suspiciously while he places plastic cups on a holder.

“Come on” he lets go of the boy when he tries and open the door to what looks like a break room, following him inside and placing himself against the wood frame.

Maybe that’s not the time to act as a  classical entitled dom, but he’ll be damned if Louis gets away before they can talk. The boy has done more than enough of that as it is.

  


The fact that he's not supposed to stare at his dominant is a great thing, Lou thinks, as he lets his eyes skim around the confined space. He knows Harry's looking, can feel it somehow, but he's not gonna say anything, no way.

“What just happened out there?” that...is not the question Louis was waiting for. Sure, he doesn't really know what he was expecting, but the concern lacing the Dom’s words was not it. “Louis?”

“Sorry but..I don't get it.” he remembers who he is talking to a second too late, adding quietly “Sir.”

“I asked you what happened, boy. You were as pale as a ghost, all of a sudden. That's why I followed you. Thought you might pass out”

“My mark” his voice is quieter this time, and he resists the urge to scratch away on his neck, his whole frame trembling with nerves and _need_. Fuck it, if  only he knew being this close to Harry was gonna be so hard. “It’s burning, Sir. I just...I needed a moment.”

“That’s all?” the tall man looks completely unaffected by the meeting, his face not showing anything other than complete calm.

His  funky leg is killing him. It started the day off like this, weak and stiff at the same time, every step being harder than the last one. _That’s what he should tell Harry, he knows._

Yet, he stays silent. To hell if he’s just gonna give in like that, especially after all he went through to make sure Harry never found out how weak he can be, even in a good day. Today is far from that.

“Louis, I asked you a question” this time, the curly haired man’s voice is more assertive, his tone’s deeper and it makes a tingling sensation run up the submissive’s spine. He doesn’t want to comply, but his body doesn’t give a shit about what he wants unless it’s what Styles does as well.

“Yes, Sir. It happened before. Today’s only stronger” each word is uttered with as much resistance as he can muster. He’s fighting Harry’s status as long as he can.

“Cos I’m here, little one” now there’s a smirk on his beautiful, full red lips “I’m here and you can’t ignore me anymore.”

“That was not what I was doing”

“No?”

“No.”

“You just broke the first of my rules, Louis, Lying to me is not allowed”

“It’s not a lie”

“It’s been months! Not days, not weeks, but _months_ since we were matched and here you are, running around like it’s nothing, Louis, If you are not ignoring me, can you tell me what the hell you think you’re doing?” now the calm facade is gone, green eyes are full of emotion and Harry’s _close._ So close Louis can smell the fainting cologne he must have put on before leaving the house mixed with a bit of sweat and something else. Something reachier, darker. Something that makes him want to get on his tip toes and bury his nose on the Dom’s neck.

 _That would calm him down,_ he thinks, out of nowhere, with a certainty that can only come from instinct.

“Saving you the trouble” he whispers, when time passes and none of them moves. It’s not like he could, being trapped between a storage closet and Harry’s lanky frame, but still. “You’ve read my file, haven’t you?” when the only response he gets is a rapid nod, the boy continues: “You know there’s no way I could sub for you, then. Or anybody, for that matter.”

“ _That’s_ why you never came to find me? You think we can not try this because of your disability? Louis, I’m rich. We can find ways to…”   
“Stop. Stop. I need you to stop.” He’s pushing all boundaries, but he’s heard that speech over and over, he really can’t stand it coming from Harry. “I don’t care about your money, Sir. It’s great that you have it, but it’s no good to me. My brain has a malfunction. There’s no way around it, believe me, I would have found it before if there was. There’s no surgery you can pay for, no edgy treatment we can try. It’s literally in my head and it’s only gonna get worse.” he’s getting worked up as the statement goes on, urging to claw at his skin like he used to when he was a kid and anxiety kicked in. Or to throw himself at the guy standing in front of him, make himself small and beg to be put under.  

Obviously, he can’t do any of those things, so Tommo just stands there and tries his best not to start crying just yet.

“That was not what I was going to suggest, Louis.” Harry’s watching him closely, like he somehow knows how close the younger lad is to his breaking point. “Which you would know, if you stopped interrupting me. I was going to tell you we can work on finding ways for you to be more comfortable. Staying up on your feet all day doesn’t help, does it?”

“It’s my life. You don’t get a say” Louis know the man is right, knows he wouldn’t even be able to still work at the coffee shop if it didn’t belong to his best friend’s parents, but he’ll not stand there and be lectured about it.

“I’m your Dominant, remember? So I do, Louis. You’re trembling ever since we got in here, and good God, what happens the day you throw hot water all over yourself by mistake? What are you gonna do then?” the question makes him want to hide, thoughts of all the times he’s burned his hands while putting on a brew running wild on his mind. How does this man _know_ so much?

“I’ll figure it out! I always did. I have been doing it since I was old enough to understand everything was going to be double as hard for me. Even the stuff that is not supposed to be. I can do it, Harry. I can do it. I can, I can, I can do it.” he’s chanting the words now, backtracking as he goes. He wants the tall guy gone. He wants to go back in time and call in a sick day so Harry won’t look at him like he’s losing his mind.

“Let me help, baby. That’s what I’m here for” Styles is greatful when his body wins out on his better judgment making him reach out to touch the sub, cause that’s the moment Louis almost triples over himself in his haste to get away “Hear me out, ok? I’m not saying you can’t do this without me, Louis. It would be foolish. I can _see_ that you are” it’s taking a toll on his health with every passing second, but his boy is a stubborn one and Harry has just realized how much he cares about him now that he’s more than a pretty face on a file, so he doesn’t comment on it. “I’m saying that you don’t have to anymore”

“I can’t...there’s things I can’t do. Some days I don’t even have the strength to get out of bed, Harry. You deserve better. Anyone does” his laugh is dry, but  he's not pulling away anymore. That’s progress. “You don’t think I wanted this to work? Fuck it, for a second there, when I found out I was supposed to be with you, I was so _happy._ I mean, look at you. Of course I wanted to be with you, but I can’t. That’s why I never came forward. Thought you would be pissed at me and go ask then to find you someone else, not…”

“Come and get you?” he’s smiling like he knows something Tomlinson doesn’t, now “I guess it’s good we have time to get know each other, baby. There’s a lot for you to learn. I know there’s things you won’t be able to do. I just don’t care about them, Louis. They tell us about our submissives first, you know? I knew about you, and I wanted us to give this a try. I still do”

“I don’t.” the words are rushed and the small boy is trying not to lean into the warm touch, fighting back against every single one of his fibers to not let himself drown on Harry.

“Try and say that looking at me, baby. I might believe you if do” Harry’s hand travels all the way up over Louis’ arm,  embraces his faces before the small guy has time to process it.

Then, he's drawing in a sea of green and he can't breath.

“So, here's what we’ll do.” to his credit, Harry gives the guy time to fight him, but the only reaction he gets is Louis trying to control his breathing, and he's starting to run late, so eventually, he breaks the silence: “I have to go now, but I’ll have a car up front for when your shift is done. Michael will take you back to my apartment and I want you to wait for me there, yeah? We’ll talk about things properly over dinner”

“No! I can't! _You_ can't just…”

“Louis, enough. It's a bloody date, I'm not gonna put a collar on you the moment you pass the door” _he could,_ but Louis is like a scared animal and he seems determined to fight his own needs, so Harry will have to be patient. For now. “You owe me a date, little one. You have to eat, anyway” he doesn't like the way his work uniform is hanging over his collarbones, but that's a battle to another time.

“Fine” he huffles out a breath, trying to act cool even if his skin is breaking out in goosebumps, his body aching to be claimed. “But I won't stay the night”

“We’ll see about that.” Styles hates it, but he moves back, gives the submissive room to move if he so wishes. He doesn’t. He just stands there, his eyes following Harry while the man sends Liam a quick text to let him know he didn’t crash his car or anything too drastic that would make him late for work (seems a bit too much, but Harry has learned you can never be too careful when your best friend is a submissive). “You can go back to work, little one. Just be careful out there. I’ll see you tonight” he drops a chaste kiss to the man’s forehead before Louis’ legs remember how to move and then, just like he came, he’s out the door.

If Louis stands there for a few more minutes, trying to control the head creeping on his face, well, the Dominant sure doesn’t have to know.

  


The sun is about to set when Tomlinson forces his body out of the car, thanking Michael as he shuts the door. His body is  trembling as he makes his way to the door, and his nerves don’t settle once he gets in the house. It’s _huge._  He somehow can’t see Harry still living with his parents, but even if he does, it’s way too much space for such a small family...growing up, Lou wasn’t poor, but his family never had money to throw around either so it’s safe to say he feels a bit overwhelmed.

Thank the Lord he can hold back his astonishment until he’s left alone, the blushing blond submissive who let him in having disappeared after telling him Harry would be coming home in a few minutes.

But this is as far as his control goes, and Louis is up on his feet exploring the first floor of the house before he can talk himself out of it. He knows snooping around is wrong, knows there would be nothing he could do if Harry were to get home, find him and decide he deserved to be punished for not staying put on the couch, where he was ordered to, but he keeps going anyway. It’s probably the first and the last time he’ll ever be somewhere so pretty, so he has to enjoy it.

Time flies by as the boy tries to take everything in, store everything in his memory, and maybe, just maybe, he lets his mind wonder about what would be like to be put over Harry’s knee and get marked by him.

For a minute or two, he wishes Niall was there with him, but before he can take his phone out and start taking pictures, he hears Harry calling out for him, and has to force his body back to the living room, _knowing_ he’s about to be in trouble, knowing he deserved it.

“Hi, little one. Like what you see?” the older guy’s voice is calm, he’s taking off his tie as he speaks, eyes wondering down Lou’s body in a languid way that makes the younger hyper aware of the fact they are in Harry’s home. And that he pretty much belongs to Harry.

“Sorry I was just...Sir I…” when the seconds pass by and Louis can’t seem to be able to control his speech, he opts to do the only other thing that’s not gonna make the whole scene worse: with a shaking body, he takes himself closer to Harry, bows his head in what he hopes is a respectful manner

_Then, he kneels._


	2. two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's supposed to be a first date, but of course it becomes more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can't quite believe the support this history got! Thank you so much everyone who took a moment of their day to read it, hope this chapter makes you happy. This is where Larry truly began, as far as this verse goes
> 
> Happy reading ◟̽◞̽

He can't breath. It's a stupid reaction, but while he stares out at Louis kneeled right there,  _ for him _ , Harry can't bloody remember how to make his body function.

Except for his dick. It's been a couple of minutes since he walked into the house, and Louis didn't even touch him, but he's half hard already.  _ It's clearly been too long since his last hook up. _

“Look at me, Louis” his voice is hoarse and foreign now, but the man has more things to focus on. Like the pair of intense blue eyes drinking him in, for one. “It's ok, little one. I wasn't trying to scare you, was just curious.” reaching out, Harry lets his fingers card through the soft locks of hair, small smile creeping up on his face when the action causes the smaller boy to relax “You like the house?”

“Yes, sir” takes him a while, but eventually, Louis finds his voice. “It's very pretty” somewhere in the back of his mind, he knows he shouldn't be so paliant, not if he wants to convince Harry to leave him alone, but damn, he's so  _ tired _ of fighting to stay in control all the time.

“I like pretty things, baby. Glad that you do, too” when Harry retracts his hand, Lou almost whines from the loss of warmth, but he catches himself on time. “Up we go, yeah?  I'm starving” sliding back onto his feet is almost easy with the support, and Louis is blushing again when they start walking, which only gets worse once he’s back in the dining room he had been exploring. 

The boy makes sure to keep is mouth shut and his head low, but that doesn’t mean he can’t feel eyes on him. Really, he’s been stared at ever since he can remember, and it shouldn’t bother him anymore, but it does. He knows what Harry’s staff is thinking, knows they are all wondering what a man like him is doing spending time with a damned cripple and he can’t even be bored to be mad at them cause fuck, he doesn’t have a clue what the hell Styles is doing either.

“That looks great, thanks Rachel” the words make Lou’s head snap up, curiosity swirling over on his stomach at the praise that’s not even directed at him, catching the way a small woman grins with pride upon hearing it with his peripheral vision. “Come on Louis, let’s dig in. You guys can leave” he throws back at the line of people waiting to serve them, before sitting down. Louis just stands there, waiting until they are left alone so he can drop to his knees by the chair Harry’s chosen…

He never gets around to it, though, 

The Dom’s eyes are on him as he circles the big table, and his hand wraps itself around Louis’ arm as soon as the boy tries to move

“No way, dear” his voice is calm but stern, letting the small one know it’s in his best interest not to argue with whatever comes next “You don’t have to be on your knees during meals, yeah? I know some people think that’s ok, but I don’t. You kneel if you are being punished or if we’re playing and I want you like that, but that’s it”

“What should I do, then?” there’s a million questions Louis wanna get out, but he focus on thinking and not rambling, 

“You sit next to me, little one. Or in my lap, if it makes you more comfortable”

“Even if we’re in public?” he doesn’t know where the question comes from, but he can’t stop his big mouth from uttering the words either. It’s just...he has seen submissives kneeling on restaurants all of his life, some even do that at the coffee shop, he’s honestly intrigued.  It seems natural.

“Especially on that case, little one. That’s why I said you might prefer my lap. You know, in case you want to be close to me” Harry’s smiling yet again, like he knows Louis’ mind is wondering what would feel like to go through a whole meal like that, like he knows he’s biting his lips trying to prevent himself from asking to do that right now.

“I’ll take the chair if that’s alright, sir.” when the words fill the silence, Harry’s forced to let go of his arm, refocusing on his plate, and Louis finally feels like he can breath without fearing saying the wrong thing. 

As the night goes on, Harry finds a way to make it feel almost like a normal date. Not that Tomlinson has been to many of those, but he guesses that’s how it is supposed to go when you’re trying to get to know someone. Harry asks him about his family (it’s a short topic. His mum is gone, his father was a jerk and he was out of the house the day he turned 18, even if he spent half of his life at Niall’s even before. His sister never really looked at him twice, but she was rude whenever she did so that was fine by him); about what he wants to do with his life now that school is over (he doesn’t have the money to go to college, but if he did, he would choose to work around kids. They were cute and they didn’t give a shit about his leg); and about his exes (and here’s where it gets interesting: Louis can’t miss the smug grin on Styles’ face when he tells him he’s only ever kissed someone once, and that it was part of a stupid dare Niall came up with). Then he tells him all about his small family, and how it was to have a Dominant sister, how the two of them drove his poor mother crazy growing up. He tells him about his companies, and about Liam, his best friend, who is also a submissive (that Louis would love, he swears).

All the while, Louis can tell he wants to talk about them, wants to try to get closer, but maybe that’s the whole reason Harry’s the one who holds control between the two: he never does. His eyes follow Lou’s every move, and there’s a certain glint on them whenever the younger does something especially complaint that makes his mouth water, but he keeps his distance.

He keeps his promise, Louis recalls. This is only a date. 

 

Harry’s body is buzzing when he settles on the couch. He feels like he’s a bit too old to be doing that, but suggesting a movie in the entertainment room with all the doors open was the only way to get Louis to stay more after dinner was done. It seems stupid now, but then he should have asked Zayn what to do instead of his husband. It’s too late to turn back on his word, tho.

“Nothing scary, please.” Louis’ voice is just above a whisper, and he looks adorable trying to get comfortable in the far part of the sofa, eyes scanning the room.

“Not a horror fan, dear?” he's half tempted to put on some gross movie just to see how Louis would react, but it's too soon so…

They end up watching  The Incredibles.

_ A kid’s movie.  _

If Zayn could see him in that moment, the man is sure he would never have a moment of peace again, but he can't bring himself to care all that much.

He's too busy watching Louis while the boy chants lines with the tv, loving the way he finally seems to be settling down. On his house. It feels good. More than that. It feels  _ right.  _

 

He doesn't know when or how it happened, but when the credits roll up on the huge screen, Louis finds himself sprawled out on the cushions, his eyes clouded with sleep, Harry's eyes trained on him from across the room.

“I should go” it will be hell to get up in the morning, but judging by the number of unanswered texts from Niall waiting on his phone, he should probably skip work all together to avoid the interrogation. 

“Yeah, alright. I’ll drive you” it's almost painful for Harry to agree, he can tell that much from the way his jaw sets in tension, even without knowing the guy very well. 

“I can get an Uber, you don't have to, sir” He doesn't wanna be a bigger bother than he has to, and he's kinda anxious for the night to be over. This “date” thing was a bad idea, and for reasons entirely different than he thought it would: it's almost too easy to let himself slip into the fantasy where this becomes a regular night. Where he comes home to a warm, beautiful house instead of his crappy apartment, where he waits for Harry instead of eating take out alone in front of the TV, where he falls asleep to warm eyes making sure he's not in pain, or scared, instead of letting all the lights on so he doesn't trip over his goddamn feet and make everything worse for himself.

He has to leave. Stay grounded. Remember what his life is like, instead of focusing in what it could have been. 

“I’ll drive you, Louis. You're not getting in some stranger's car at this hour” Harry jumps up with grace, standing tall while he tries to steady himself in his wobbly legs. They walk around the empty house in silence, Louis trying to find a way to break it to the Dom that this was ok, that he's kinda glad they got the chance to do that, spend some time together, but that it doesn't change things. 

He still can't do it. He can't sub for him, he can't be  _ his _ . Harry is even better a person than he assumed, and he deserves the best, most gorgeous submissive the Matching Center can find, not a broken thing like him. 

He's about to open his mouth when they pass one huge window and lightning makes Louis stop dead on his tracks.  _ No, no, no. _

Loud thunder comes next, and the man makes a complete fool of himself when he stumbles forward, hands gripping at Harry's shirt to make the man stop as well.

“Sir...can I...you think I could stay?” He has no clue what the heck he's doing, but he doesn't want to go outside and get soaked. It's late, and it's dark, and it's the first time in years he's not alone when a storm hits (and that might be the only reason he's not crying just yet.) He hates the noise, has done so ever since he was a kid, it makes his head spin too fast and worsens the notion that he doesn't fit his skin. 

He doesn't wanna go home and tremble all night, waiting for it to pass. He wants to stay here, where there's other people around, where he doesn't have painful memories clutching to the walls. He wants to stay with Harry. Harry, who's big, and loud, and demanding. Harry, who's looking at him like he doesn't mind that he seems to not be able to make up his mind. Harry, who doesn't even seem to notice the rain, who doesn't care about it. 

“Do you want to?”

“Yes. I do. If you...if that's ok. It's raining, and I don't want...don't want to make us drive through that, it's not safe.” Not a lie, but not the truth either. It will have to do.  “I can take the couch, I was dozing off on it less than 20 minutes ago.” 

“Bullshit, you stay in your room”

“My room?” he should be worried about it, but he's just curious now. 

“Yeah. I had it ready for you...when the matching came back. Thought you would like your own space, sometimes. I can be a handful, I have been told.” he's laughing drily, and Louis doesn't wanna think about how he discovered it. About how other people probably had him and then told the man they needed space to get back on their feet after he had his way with them.

He doesn't answer, can’t trust his voice to do so between the fear and the sudden urge to ask Harry about his own exes. He doesn’t really think he wants to know, but he also hates  _ not to  _ so he bites his lips and bounces his head in acceptance, starting to follow the guy through the house. 

He doesn’t let go of his shirt until they are in the big bedroom that Styles says it’s only a few doors away from his own. And he only does it because Harry eventually pulls away. Louis won’t think about it. Not that night, anyway.

  
  


The trembling voice is what wakes him up. As his senses slowly come back, Harry notices a few things: the rain has gotten louder, there’s a faint light coming from the crack on the open door and  _ Louis is touching him. _

Just his arm, and just to make sure he’s awake, but he’s tired, it’s late and it feels good. He knew he craved to touch his sub, the light caresses he had been able to steal ever since they met not nearly enough for him, but up to that moment the man hadn’t spared a second to think about how he wanted to feel Louis’ hands on him.

“What’s the matter, Lou?” his voice is coated with sleep and want when he finally asks, his eyes adjusting to the dark as the seconds pass, noticing how tense the sub is.

“The rain” it’s just a whisper, and the guy is looking at Harry as if the words are supposed to explain everything, and maybe in another life they could, but Styles is just confused now. “ ‘s too loud, Harry”  his name always sounds so good on that thick accent, it almost trumps the way his whole body tingles when Louis calls him  _ Sir _ .

“Can’t sleep, huh?”

“No. I’m sorry I came here but...the house is strange and I….”

“It’s alright, darling” Hell if he’s about to complain over Louis looking for him for comfort, it was the point of bringing him there anyway. To show he didn’t have to  be alone anymore. After what he’s discovered about the guy, H really thinks he needs someone to do that for him. 

Louis is strong, and broken and amazing all in one. 

“Wanna stay here?” he does his best to keep his voice soft and inviting, remembering Zayn’s advice about how your first days with your sub mattered the most. That type of relationship would never work without trust, and Louis was one to doubt even his own shadow. “C’mon, you’re gonna get sick just standing in the cold, baby” the pet name slips past him, his tone firmer now, body moving on the big bed, pulling up the covers so Louis can slide under them. 

Eventually, he does. 

 

His head is pounding, his cheeks blushing badly when Louis literally crawls his way into Harry’s bed, too far inside his own freaked out mind to care about the fact he’s just making a bigger fool of himself the more time goes by. 

It’s not long after he lays down that the man feels the mattress shifting under the Dom’s weight, the man tucking him in, but not touching except from the hand that pulls his fringe away from his eyes

“Better, huh?”

“Yes...thank you, sir” the man has been so nice about the whole ordeal that Louis decides he’s gonna try extra hard to act normal, even if he wants to jump out of his skin every time a new thunder hits.

“Should have told me you don’t like the rain, Louis. I would never leave you if I knew” they are facing each other, almost sharing the same pillow now, and Tommo feels weird when he can’t read mockery or anything bad on the other’s tone. All he can sense is concern, and the only other time it happened was with Niall. 

This is definitely not his best friend, this man barely knows him, for God’s sake. He doesn’t know what to say. 

“It’s silly” he blurts out, when the silence becomes too much and neither of them look away, despite the lack of proper light. 

“Not to me. Nothing about you is silly to me, little one”

“I don’t know why it happens. I asked around, the doctors only told me loud noises never help me. They couldn’t figure why I’m so bloody scared of storms” it’s a bit of a rant, but he doesn’t want Harry to look at him and see a scared boy.

“Sometimes it just happens. My sister never liked stormy nights either, and she’s a dominant. It’s not your fault” he always takes his time when he’s talking, seem to never rush the words out like Louis loves to do (it’s the only way he’ll talk at all in some situations, so the sub isn’t really complaining), some of his calm sliping to Louis. “She woke me up more times than I can count” he flashes the younger one a quick smile, fingers moving up again to comb through the locks of Lou’s hair as he continues “some nights we would just talk until it stopped, some nights she would kick me whenever I drifted off, the little shit. You were way nicer about it”

“Sorry”

“We need to work on that, baby. You apologize far too much for my liking”

“I’m always messing up, sir”

“No. You needed me, and you came to me. There’s nothing wrong, there” no one says anything when Louis’ body finally relaxes, meaning he gets closer to Harry then he intended. They just stay there, long fingers working the knots of tension on his scalp, strong voice remembering him  _ it’s all good, he’s safe, it will be over before he knows it  _ every time a thunder makes him shiver, his own hands clasped and resting against the warm skin of Harry’s chest, just to ground himself and try not to make it worse, steady breaths being a good distraction to all he wants but can’t have.

Louis ends up falling asleep without noticing. 

Harry watches him the rest of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another one up! Please, if you made it this far, consider letting a comment/kudo and tell me what you think comes next, I'll love to hear your theories...


	3. three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis has a visitor from the past. Things get heated, Harry acts as the only thing he can be: a protective Dom who's falling hard. And fast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is intense. There's no other way to put it. Mark is a jerk in this work (an abusive, violent jerk), so be aware of that, please (and look for help if you need it. You don't have to fight all your battles alone)
> 
> Also, I'm very sorry that this chapter took me so long, but it's HUGE and I kinda like it so I hope you'll forgive me? (adult life can be a bitch, guys)  
> Enjoy!

When Louis wakes up in the next morning, it’s to the faint noise of running water instead of his usual offensively loud alarm: turning over, the boy is met with warm sheets and the strong scent he’s starting to recognize as Harry’s. 

_ Harry. _

With the sunlight sipping through the heavy curtains, it's even easier for the embarrassing feeling about being terrified last night to settle into Louis’ gut. It was just rain, just fucking noise, and yet he had to go  and bother his Dom when he was trying to rest. 

He was a busy man, surely the last thing he wanted was to a stupid shivering mess of a sub to crawl into bed with him in the middle of the night.

Yet it had felt so _ right  _ to do just that.

Even being there while Styles had a shower felt good, for fuck’s sake.

“Morning, Lou” his voice is soft when the words come out but Louis still sort of jumps in bed, hands fisting the sheets, eyes searching for Harry, pupils blowing out the moment they find him.

_ Dear Lord, is this guy even real? _

“Morning, Sir” the words are coated in pure and simple adoration as the youngest of the pair drinks in the sight that is Harry Styles in the morning: he has a towel wrapped loosely around his hips, water droplets running from the mess that is his wet mop of curls, drawing patterns over the tattoos scattered about over the pale skin as they go south, and Tomlinson actually  _ envies _ them.

He wants to get up and use his fingertips to trace the black ink so bad he thinks he's going to die from the amount of will it takes not doing so.

“Like what you see, little one?” the smirk on Harry's face makes his cheeks burn as Louis snaps his eyes back up, heat spreading over his body when he realizes that the towel is the only thing in between him and a naked Dom.

“I..ahn...I need to…” he’s scrambling to get down from the high posted bed then, trying to find something to say that isn’t completely dumb so the words surprise him, to say the least:

“ _ Holy fuck, Louis” _

  
  


When he speaks, Harry's voice is deep, all the playful banter gone. If  _ this  _  is what he's going to wake up to every morning from now on, he can't blood wait. 

Louis is  _ gorgeous _ . 

There's something about his small frame, his tanned skin and his perfect features that drives Harry wild.

Louis is just so alluring, standing there in his white t shirt, blushing like crazy over something he said, he just wants to step closer, throw the guy back in bed and  _ ravish _ him. 

God, if Louis gets flustered over some stupid joke, Harry's not sure how he's gonna cope with the sub’s reaction to something more.

“I have to get to work” the hissing sound when he moves clears the air between the two and Harry  _ knows  _ something's wrong when the words hit him.

“What's wrong?” after last night, Harry thought they were making progress. Maybe not. “Louis?”  he doesn't want to push, but he wraps his arms around Louis when the small one tries to avoid the question and leave the room, pulling his body close when the motion causes him to lose his balance. “Talk to me, baby”

“I really have to go to work, Sir” he is looking up, trying to smile but it's useless when Harry steps back and his expression falls, short nails digging into the flash of his arm. 

“Is it your leg, little one?”

“Fuck, yes. I always forget how this shit hurts in the morning,  _ damn it!”  _  he's getting angry as the seconds pass, and all Harry wants is to order him to go back to bed and rest, but he knows he can't. This is something Louis has to deal with everyday it seems, he has to trust him to know when it gets too much.

“Just breath, Louis. You're okay, baby. Just take your time, yeah? I'm right here with you” his voice is soothing, one of his hands is running through the sub’s hair while the other holds him steady. Minutes pass by without them moving, but then, Louis finally relax. He's still limping when he moves, but that's just his usual gate, now.

“Thank you, Sir.” he whispers, as if his pain is something that embarrass him. It probably does, with what little Harry knows about him. Louis is used to dealing with his own shit, and he takes pride on doing so. 

“Anytime” the Dom has about a million questions he wants to ask, but the whole thing is still new and Louis hasn’t surrendered himself to the bond they clearly are meant to share just yet, so he pushes his worries back “So, I take it you have work soon?”

“I do.” the boy really looks like he wants to run off, standing there and trying not to stare at the older one “My shift starts in two hours” normally, he would be pissed about being up and running so early, but Louis has decided nothing about the last 48 hours of his life was normal anyway

“Good. That means we can ride together. I’ll drop you off, then go to the office”

“I can… ” the suggestion dies  on his lips when Harry stares him down, looking stern as ever. “I’ll go get dressed” he tries again, cause he’s sure he’s gonna combust or attack Styles if he stays too close for too long.

Harry only nods in his general direction, seeming satisfied he didn’t need to scowl the boy this time

  
  


Louis keeps to himself even while they are driving back to the rush of the city, fussing with his phone and pretending he doesn't feel Harry's eyes on him, pretending like the notion doesn't give him a sense of security he knows is far too dangerous to allow. 

_ It's not gonna last, whatever this is. He doesn't even want it to, this is just the sub part of his brain trying to get it's way.  _

He's almost believing it, almost back on track when Harry pulls up into the coffee shop, but then, when they pass the door (Styles apparently doesn't function unless he has a second shot of caffeine before work), Louis sees him.

His  _ father _ , standing next to the counter, while Niall stares at him like he's a deer caught on headlights.

Tomlinson is suddenly very grateful that Harry found him when he did. He doesn’t wanna do this alone, not today

“My boy!” He's still frozen on the corner when Mark turns around, voice bouncing off the walls, sounding too loud even on the rush of the early morning, big steps bringing him too close too fast. Louis can't avoid it when he backtracks, gluing himself to his Dom, looking for something that grounds him into the dreadful moment when the memories start flashing before his eyes: how things changed when his mom first got sick, how Mark seemed to turn into a different person once he realized it wasn't something the doctors could fix overnight. How he  _ revealed himself,  _ with all the drinking, and the yelling, and the cheating. Louis was young back then, but sadly not so young he didn't notice it, didn't see what it was doing to the one person in his life that didn't think he was just a stupid burden. Snapping his eyes down, the boy gets a glimpse of how his father is proudly wearing a ring on his left hand now, practically parading his new found bond, and it makes him sick. “Niall over there was trying to tell me you weren’t coming in, but I saw right through it” Louis can smell the alcohol on the man’s breath when he drags him to a weird hug that thankfully doesn’t last long “What did I fucking tell you about running around with liars?” he’s trying to sound stern, but he’s way too drunk to do that right.

“Niall’s not a liar” he forces himself to reply, looking at his feet. Mark has always despised his tendency to look Dom’s in the eyes when he talks to them, and even if he’s past being scared of the man, he doesn’t want to cause a scene at work. Doesn’t want Harry to see what would probably follow his little act of defiance either. 

“Why are you here, Mark?”

“Can’t a man miss his son? You might be nothing more than a bloody submissive, but you’re all I’ve got, since that whore of your sister bailed on us, right?” his hand comes down on Louis’ back then. Hard. It throws the boy off balance for a second or two, but he manages to keep his face blank. “Someone’s gotta make sure you don’t fuck up your life more than you already did, and you’re too broken to anyone to want you, so it’s up to me. Just checking in, ‘s all”

“I’m fine” he could be dying and that would still be the answer he gives. It’s the quicker way to get Mark off his back. 

“Did you hear back from the Matching Center yet? I called them, explained your  _ situation _ , made sure they know you’re not picky, yeah? They’ll find you a dumbass Dom someday, don’t worry. If you learn to fucking behave, the rest of your life might not be so miserable” and then the man is laughing like he had just told the greatest joke anyone has ever heard, like it’s normal to treat his own flesh like that. “Or you could just take it as quiet as you can, that should work too” he’s reaching out again, making the small boy want to take his chances and push him back before his hands make contact with his skin cause he can’t, he can’t, he just  _ can’t  _ bare it…

He shouldn’t have worried.

“I’m going to have to ask you to step back now, sir” Harry’s voice is as cold as ice when he speaks, one arm wrapping around Louis’ waist to push him further into his body. “I don’t want your hands on him”

“Who the fuck you think you are?” it’s the first time someone other than Niall’s dad has tried to interfere in the way he treats Louis, so clearly, Mark is taken aback.

“Harry Styles. Louis’ Dominant.” his voice doesn't waver, and Harry stares the other Dom down until he takes a few steps back, given them space. “Like I said, you'd better keep your hands off him from now on”

“I'm his father, so even if you're stupid enough to take him, it's not like you can tell me what to do. He wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for me”

“He's mine, ever since we both agreed to the match”  _ a lie, but Louis isn't about to correct him.  _ “Legally, I can do whatever pleases me, and you'll keep your distance.  He doesn't like it when you touch him, so  _ I  _  doesn't like it either and my word goes” when he's done, there's a heavy silence around them, even if the shop is still fairly full. Mark is standing there, like he wants to do something about what is happening, but can't decide on  _ what _ , Harry's grip on Louis is starting to hurt a bit, and he just wants to crawl into a hole and never come back out.

“I need help, Lou” the drunken voice is disgusting, especially when he uses the nickname, and his eyes are glowing with fake tears “I owe this guy some money, you see?”  _ Money.  _ of course that's the reason he came for his son. It's always money, or the urge to beat Louis up for ruining his life.

“Not his problem” Harry takes the lead when Louis can't find his voice “Leave him be before I make you, pal. You've done enough” somehow the Dom is keeping his voice steady, and no one seems to notice the exchange but Niall, who has abandoned the counter when Louis and Harry came in and is looking at him with sorrow in his eyes. 

“He has to help! This little shit sucked me out of my savings as a kid with his stupid treatments and therapies. He owes me”

That's it. That's the moment the long haired man decides he's had enough, so he lets go of his sub, grabs Mark by his torned up shirt and shoves him against the nearest wall, effectively shutting the guy up.

“He doesn't have to do anything. He doesn’t owe you anything. You’re his father, so if you were anything close to decent, you wouldn’t hold up something that’s not his fault against him. I don’t care what you did to get yourself in the mess you must be to come after him, and I’m okay if you can’t get out of it, but he’s not about to save you” Louis wants to tell him to stop, now that he sees they are starting to drawn attention, but he feels so ashamed that this is his life, he can’t make his mouth form the words. “Now, it’s time for you to leave” Mark is positively unsteady on his own feet when Harry drops him back on the ground, but he doesn’t try to stall, just turn in his heels and leave. 

The young boy only notices he’s started crying when he’s pulled into a warm, strong embrace.

Then, he finally breaks.

  
  


“It’s alright, Louis. He’s gone now, baby” they are back on the break room, and Louis has yet to regain control of himself. He’s been sobbing for so long he can’t even pinpoint what is prompting it now. 

He’s tired. He’s so damn tired of being weak, of fighting the fact that he’s born like that, and now Harry has seen the worst about him, but somehow he’s still there. 

He’s warm, strong, and surprisingly  _ sweet,  _ now that Mark left.

“I’m sorry” he offers, because even if there’s a million other things he wants Harry to know now, those are the only words he can utter.

“You don’t have to” he’s gone paliant on Harry’s hold, wrapped around the guy on the small couch so it’s easy for the man to lift his face up to look into his green eyes “That was not your fault, yeah? None of it” his thumbs get rid of the tear tracks as he speaks, the way he's gently rocking himself making Louis’ heart beat slower as the seconds drag on “There you go, little one. No need to worry about that guy any longer. He's not gonna be a problem ever again, ok?”

“You can't...know that” the small sub responds, because as much as he wants to believe Harry, he knows Mark well enough to be sure it's not gonna be that easy.

“Of course I can. You're mine now, we can use the law to make sure of it. I'm not gonna let anything happen to you” his voice was laced with something that looked a lot like worry and his arms tightened their grip around the frail form on his lap.

“He's gonna find out, Harry.” the name was heavy on his tongue, and his face burned with embarrassment “He's gonna know that I've been running and that nothing actually happened. It's gonna be a mess...he knows who you are”

“Then he knows better than to mess with me” Styles’ head was going over a million things he had to do to make good on his promises, and as much as he hated Mark, he finally felt like he understood his boy a bit better now: after a lifetime with someone like that, it wasn't a surprise that Louis thought he would be better off on his own, the Matching Center be damned. Thinking about all the twisted ways the jerk used his status against Louis throughout the years made Harry wanna let go of the control he was taught to maintain all together and do something that showed the guy what it was like to be at someone else's mercy. “Just trust me, yeah?” his voice was low and reassuring “Can you do that, baby? Can you calm down for me?” Louis was breathing shortly, wheezing sounds coming out of him whenever the sobbing allowed “Shh, it's alright, sweetie. Let it out, but breath ok?” when the pleading didn't do much, even if he could see Louis was trying his best to do what he was being told, Harry did something he was trying to avoid: he reached his hand up until it was resting at the base of Louis’ skull, right above the mark that branded him as a submissive and then he pressed it for a few seconds “Louis? Breath for me, little one. Big breaths, ok? In and out, you're fine now. Just breathe for me” the mark was usually used during harsh scenes, and normally to bring a sub out of his headspace instead of putting them there, but Styles was running out of options so he kept the pressure there until the tears stopped coming, big blue eyes glowing as they stared at him “Better, baby?” Louis responded with a weak nod, trying to wrap himself further into Harry “Can you use your words, please?”

“I'm... it's better, Sir. Thank you” watching Louis while the submissive part of him was out front and in control made Harry feel a rush he had never experienced before. He honestly couldn't wait until he had it happening willingly, and out of pleasure rather than a panic attack that was about to get out of hand.

“Good, that's good, baby. So good, you're such a good boy, hun” leaning in, Styles pressed a kiss to Louis’ forehead, right when a small blond boy entered the room they were in, his hands reaching for Louis;

“Lou? Are you ok? Did he hurt you again? Louis?” he was totally ignoring Harry, at least until he saw the way the boy was clutching to Harry, or how his eyes weren't filled with dread anymore “What is this shit? Is he ok?”

“Yes, he is. I had to put him under, is all”

“What? You mean...subspace?”

“Yes. He was panicking, and he couldn't breath. I know I should be able to calm him down, but I didn't have the time so I did it, ok? I'm gonna bring him out in a second, so don't worry”

“No...I mean, you're his Dom, right? Harry? I read your file...and I sure as hell am glad you were here. It's just I never….saw anyone under before. Where does his mind go?”

“Somewhere safe. Somewhere where he's not fighting my ability to keep him alright. I don't know where that is for him yet, but…”

“His mom. He's either with her, or some of their secret spots. Whatever this thing in our brains does….it took him to her, I know that”

“You're a sub, too?” he was loud and lively, with a confidence Styles didn't see  in most of the unmatched subs

“Yes, sir. I turn eighteen in a few months” the boy sat on the ground close to them, smiling when he saw Louis rest his head on Harry's chest “My mum can't wait for me to find someone else to annoy”

“I'm sure she's gonna miss you. You excited to be matched?” 

“Yes. I mean, that shit is terrifying, but it will turn out fine, right? I mean, look at you. Louis was so scared when he got the results, but in the end, you saved him. Not just from Mark, as it seems. He misses her. He misses her all the time, and if you can bring him somewhere that reminds him of her without hurting…”

“I should pull him out soon” he had to get to work as well, call his legal team...it was gonna be a long day. 

“I should head back out there. I was just checking on him, but you've got it”

“He's lucky to have you…”

“Niall. I'm Niall, sir”

“He’s very lucky to have a good friend like you, Niall.” Louis flinched when the door closed behind the other boy, the noise disturbing his brain “Shh, it’s alright, baby” Harry whispered, letting him have a few seconds more in his safe space before calling out to him:

“Louis? Can you look at me, sweetie? Hi, there. You good?”

“Warm. Nice and warm” the buttons on the long haired man’s shirt were suddenly very interesting, if the way he was rolling one back and forth was any indication

“I know, but can you come back now?”

“Don’t want to. I like it here. It’s nice. Quiet”

“I’m sure you do, and that’s okay but you can’t just stay there, darling”

“Why not?” of course he would still find the will to be stubborn, even in subspace. Of course.

“I’d miss you, for one. Also, it would make me very happy if you came back, Lou”

“I want Harry happy, yeah”

“Then close your eyes for me, ok?” when he did, Harry steeled his voice to make sure the command didn’t waver “Now, when you open them back up, you’re going to be here. We’re at the coffee shop, remember? Take your time, but I need you back, Louis”

After that, the small space fell silent. Harry kept his eyes on Louis, humming an old song under his breath when the body on top of his started trembling again.

“I hate you” the words would have been more effective if Louis had at least tried to pull back from the heat the Dominant provided, sure. 

“Too bad, love. You’re moving in with me. After what I saw, this is not a discussion. You’re mine, and it’s time you stop fighting it.”

“We’re not having sex”

“That’s fine by me”  _ Liar _ . “As long as you’re safe”  _ As long as that ratched man never touches you again. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're here, consider leaving a comment, maybe some kudos? Pretty please? I love talking about my crazy ideas...  
> See you soon!

**Author's Note:**

> I have to thank you if you made it this far. I hope some of it was enjoyable. I also hope you stay for the next chapters. Things are bad now, I know. They will get better, I promise. But first, they'll get way worse.
> 
> Should be fun...
> 
> (if it didn't completely suck, please consider leaving kudos/comments. They make me happy, and they help me remember I should keep putting my crazy ideas on paper)


End file.
